''Obviously, it was not he, but he was interviewed along with many others.''

Mr Stainthorpe said the person who gave police the anonymous tip-off was ''aiming in the right direction''.

''Child perverts soon become child killers,'' he added.

Peter Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women in 1981 and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

He is held at Broadmoor and has been told he will never be freed.

Sutcliffe yesterday claimed Savile regularly visited him in custody and the pair became friends.

Dismissing claims the late DJ abused around 300 victims over six decades, he said those making allegations were ''jumping on the bandwagon''.

Sutcliffe, 66, told The Sun: ''It's a load of rubbish. People are just getting carried away.

''He visited a lot. He'd always come and chat with me on visits and I would introduce him to my visitors. Several times he left £500 for charities I was supporting.''

Savile is now believed by police to be one of the UK's most prolific child abusers.

Scotland Yard is leading a national investigation into the television and radio star's activities. Detectives are following 400 lines of inquiry while the BBC has launched an inquiry into the culture and practices at the corporation in the era of Savile's alleged sexual abuse.